Fire-alarm box



(No Model.)

G. F. MILLIKEN.

- I FIRE ALARM BOX.

, No. 412,971. Patented Oct. 15, 1889.

Witnesses" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. MILLIKEN, OF BOST N, MASSACHUSETTS.

FIRE-ALARM BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 412,971, dated October15, 1889.

Application filed August '7, 1889. Serial No. 320,000. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it ntay concern.-

Be it known that 1, GEORGE F. MILLIKEN, residing at Boston, in thecounty of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certainImprovements in Fire-Alarm Boxes, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to fire-alarm boxes, and especially to that classhaving an aperture covered with a plate of glass, or of some othereasily-fractured material, which is broken by the person who wishes tosend an alarm, which is then done by pulling down a hook, ring, or othermeans, located behind and protected by the said plate, thus setting thealarmsending mechanism in operation. A door on hinges covers the face ofthe box, and is provided with a lock and key to secure the same, and inthe door is an aperture covered by a plate of glass. hen anypersonwishes to send an alarm, the glass plate is broken, thus giving accessto the hook or other means for starting the alarm-sending mechanism. Toreplace the glass plate or to examine the interior of the box for anypurpose, it is necessary to unlock and swing the door open. By thismethod of opening the alarm-box from the outside by a key unauthorizedpersons can gain access thereto by means of false keys, &c., and areenabled to pull the hook and noiselessly send an alarm without breakingthe glass, and also to maliciously damage the mechanism. It is desirablethat the glass be broken, as the noise in doing so attracts attentionand prevents mischievous persons from sending false alarms.

The object of my invention is to provide a keyless firealarm box whichshall be selflocking, the locking mechanism being upon the inside of thebox and door, and which cannot be opened from the outside, or opened atall until the glass plate covering the aperture is first broken.

My invention also contemplates a door for an alarm-box, without hinges,provided with dowels on one side, which register with and enterdowel-holes in the inner side of the door-opening, and provided on theother side with a self-locking device, so that when the door or cover issprung into place there are no means for removing it, except after theglass plate covering the aperture (which may be either in the door or inthe walls of the box) is broken, and access thus provided to reach.

in the hand and unlock the door from the inside.

By my invention an alarm-box is provided presenting a smooth exterior,without a key,- hole, with or without hinges, and inaccessible tounauthorized persons, providing more security than those having a lockand key, and without the expense attaching to a Yale or other suitablesimilar look, all. of which Iwill now proceed to describe, and point outin the claims.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification andillustrating 'my invention, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of alire-alarm box having a door or cover without hinges. Fig. 2 is asection on line a a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line I)Z) of Fig. 1, looking to the left; and Fig. 4: is a partial verticalsection of Fig. 1, looking to the right. Fig. 5 is a perspectiveinterior view showing the self-locking device, and Fig. 6 is aperspective view of a firealarm box with its door hung on hinges andwith a glass covcred aperture in the side wall of the box.

Figs. '1, 2, 8, 6i, and 5 show a fire-alarm box I divided into twoCOlllPfllt-lilfilltfi A and B by means of the horizontal partition 11.The upper part of the box contains the operating mechanism necessary totrip and send an alarm, which, forming no part of my invention, is notshown, excepting the pull-down ring or hook C, which is simply indicatedin Fig. 1 as projecting downward into the lower compartment B. The dooror cover 2 is provided with dowels 5 5 on one side thereof, which enterthe dowel-holes 6 6 in the side of the door-opening. Upon the otherside, projecting inwardly, is a wire 10, one end of which is attached tothe door, while the other end is bent over, as shown, to engage with aflat bent spring 5, which is at tached to the inner side wall of thebox. One side of the spring 5 is longer than the other, to form aconvenient finger-piece 1.4. The shorter side serves as an abutment,over which the wire 10 passes and engages when the cover or door 2 ispressed inward. The lower part of the door has an aperture 3, overwhich, on

the inner side, is placed a plate of glass or other easily-fracturedmaterial (as thin plates of hard rubber, celluloid, &c.) 4, secured bythe rabbeted studs 9 9, in the usual manner, there being a limiting-stud,12 at the top, as shown.

WVhen any person wishes to gain access to the interior of the box tosend an alarm, the plate 4 is broken, the hand inserted into the lowercompartment B, and the hook O pulled down; or, if the mechanism is to beexamined, the glass is also broken, and to remove the door or cover thehand is inserted and the finger 14 of the spring sis pressed against thewall of the box, thus freeing the wire 10,when the door can be taken outor removed, or if upon -hinges, as in Fig. 6, the door is swung open.

, After a plate has been broken to send an alarm the door is removed oropened, as described, and a new plate inserted, the door then beingsprung in or to, locking itself in place.

I do not limit myself to the precise form of locking device shown, asany apparatus which permits the door to be self-locking, and which canbe unlocked from the inside of the box only and after the-plate has beenbroken, may be employed without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Fig. 6 shows an alarm-box provided with an aperture 3 and glass plate 4in the side wall of the box itself. In this case the door is solid, andis shown as upon hinges 7 7; but it is obvious that it may be arrangedwith dowels and removable, as shown in Fig. 1. A. similar keylessself-locking device is to be the aperture in the side wall of thealarm-box,

as being less liable to accidental breakage.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

1. Afire-alarm box provided with a keyless self-locking door or coverand an aperture covered with a plate of easily-fractured material,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a fire-alarm box, the combination of the box with a keylessself-locking door or cover having an aperture covered with a plate ofeasily-fractured material, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

3. A fire-alarm box provided vs ith akeyless self-locking door or cover,the means for looking and unlocking being upon the inside of the saidbox and door or cover, and an aperture covered with a plate ofeasily-fractured material, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

4. In alire-alarm box, the combination of the box with a keylessself-locking door or cover, the means for locking and unlocking beingupon the inside of the said box and door or cover, having an aperturecovered with a plate of easily-fractured material, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth.

5. In a fire-alarm box, the combination of the box with a removablekeyless self-locking door being upon the inside of the said box and dooror cover, and an aperture covered with a plate of easily-fracturedmaterial, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 30th day of July, 1889.

GEORGE F. MILLIKEN. Witnesses:

A. P. SAWYER, W. A. SIMMONS.

or cover, the means for lockin g and unlocking

